Damen awarded diving bell ship contract

The Koblenz Waterway and Shipping Office (Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt Koblenz; WSA Koblenz) has awarded Damen Shipyards Group a contract to build a diving bell ship for operation in the Rhine River and its tributaries.

The new vessel will be used to search for and recover lost cargo or wreckages on the riverbed.

It will replace the salvage ship Carl Straat (pictured) which has been in operation with WSA Koblenz since 1963.

The new diving bell ship will also be named Carl Straat and will be delivered in 2020.

Construction of the vessel will take place at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld.